"Be Smart On Your Social Media. It's Not Cancel Culture or Woke. It's Common Sense!" - 03/24/21 Edition
Stephen Says Column




Dear Stephen,

What's up with social media and people not getting a job because someone reads or sees something about you they do not like. Or even losing jobs about something they wrote ten years ago on social media. Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? Now Clubhouse. What gives? Is that really fair? I just read the Alexi McCammond the Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue was out of her job after a backlash over old tweets? Like ten year old tweets when she was a teenager? I have seen you write about this topic before. We always seem to read about these media and political bigshots and the words coming back to haunt them but does it really happen in the real world of furniture and design? Do you know of someone who was not hired because of something posted by or about them on social media? Do you have any real life examples? I live a pretty private, low key, "under the radar" life. I am not on Twitter, but I do have a social media imprint. Of course LinkedIn is a business must, then family and friend stuff on Instagram and Facebook and, oh, and I just joined iPhone Clubhouse. With our industry heating up and the many jobs I see posted on LinkedIn I am thinking I want to dip my toe in the "job pond" water. You know, start to interview while I am gainfully employed to see what opportunities are out there; as you have advised many times, the best time to look is while you already have a job. Should I have something to worry about when it comes to social media? I know you warned about putting anything risqué on Facebook or Instagram - duh! Is this really still an issue? What would the "normal Tom" like me, without any racist or political rants on Twitter have to fear? What should I be aware of in of my social media presence and how may it affect my chances of landing a new job or even getting ahead in my existing job? Do people hiring really take the time to check you out my personal social media? What are the rules?

Signed,

Doubting Thomas
 

Dear Tom,

Yes, yes, a thousands times yes people check you out on your personal social media. Both for hiring and promoting and everything in between. From babysitter to CEO. Why? Because everyone is nosy. People have been judged, right or wrong, for what they post online. Twitter is not a major factor in our industry or any industry unless you're a politician or a celebrity - Dionne Warwick is still crushing it on Twitter at 80! To answer your question, people do care about your picture on Facebook, Instagram and of course LinkedIn. How you look and what you are doing and the story it tells can affect your job. The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is more true than ever.

If you post a picture on Instagram and then doctor it up, we used to call it photoshop--- but now there is an App for that - say VSCO, Canva, oh there is Snapseed and my favorite Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor...yeah there are over 20 of them to make your pictures look better, change your lighting or make yourself skinnier. We are judged for that also. People may say you are a narcissist, vain, pretentious if you touch up the photo - but if you don't touch it up you're criticized for looking hung-over, or fat or old. And how if your LinkedIn photo was taken 10 years ago? You think people don't notice that? Like to show off your pet online? Then you get judged as the "cat lady". Too many pictures of your kids and you? Guess what they said to a friend of mine who is a great mom and in sales? Amanda you're a "helicopter parent" no wonder your sales are down, you never leave those kids alone. You just cannot win!

And as for Alexi McCammond who you referred to because she resigned at Teen Vogue, cry me a river! She drew complaints because of racist and homophobic tweets. And personally think she should still be held accountable – yes even from a decade ago. Why? Because smart people are smart even when they are young. You do not grow into smart, you grow into maturity. "Rude is not racist" to quote Megan Markle. Yes I watched the Royal interview along with 18 million others of you! McCammond is 27 and will land a better job somewhere else before I finish this column and she will end up on The View. I am a big believer in forgiveness and I personally have said many things I wish I can take back, including in my two best selling books about the workplace. But if I write it down, I own it. If you judge me I understand that. My voice, my problem.

To answer your direct question about the private you and your Instagram stories and Facebook pictures, my clients are primarily HR people, sales managers and CEO's and they all tell me the same thing. On their own, they "unofficially" look up a candidates Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and just plain "Google" you to see what is out there. They want to see your pictures and understand you a as person. Fair? Maybe not. Can you stop them? Yes! By making your settings PRIVATE on your personal social media. It is that simple. If you are one of those few people who does not care what people think of you, in my opinion you are either a liar or naive because people will judge you either way. Yet if you truly do not care what people think of you, that's just fine, but you may not get the job, and you may not get the promotion and you will never ever know the reason why because no one ever owns up to judging you on social media. Yet everyone does.

Many of us should be teaching and preaching this to our kid's. Just ask Kellyanne Conway about her daughter's TikTok video. For some of us it is too late. We all have stuff out there we can not take back. I will forever regret talking about wearing my Man-Spanx on one of my guest appearances on Steve Harvey's TV show. Then, I wrote "Bulletproof Your Job" published by HarperCollins where I curse repeatedly, maybe for effect or theatre, or maybe I was just dumb, because it is something I regret today. And for many years I was telling people to cover their tattoos. Can you imagine? Who would we hire today if we eliminate everyone with a tattoo? As people, we change and evolve as do our opinions. This is not cancel culture or being Woke. Save your cliches. This is as simple as common sense 101. Guess what? If you look stupid in a picture people will judge you. So why have it out there if you can make it private. That is my point. You can restrict what people can see....or how about this; don't post anything stupid in the first place, then you won't have to worry about.

PS: If you pose on your LinkedIn profile picture with you wife, or in sunglasses and a golf shirt, guess what? You're not going to get the job, and you would have never known why. But now you do!

Stephen
 

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Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group,
global executive recruiters located in New York.
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